Stonehenge is the largest and most sophisticated of all the stone circles left standing in the British Isles. It has been the subject of countless books and documentaries and remains one of the world's unexplained mysteries, attracting nearly 1,000,000 visitors each year from every corner of the globe and is officially recognised as a World Heritage Site.

Recent archaeological evidence has shown that this sacred site in Wiltshire has been utilised for more than 10,000 years. The entire area is rich in archaeological discoveries. The ruined Stonehenge stands out on Salisbury Plain, but in its earliest phase Stonehenge would have been hidden within the surrounding forest and only accessible from the river Avon. Later it became part of the Great Temple complex of Avebury.

Click here for information on Stonehenge excavations.

It was built in various stages between 3,000 and 2,000 B.C. and probably abandoned in about 1,000 B.C.

The Preseli Bluestones form one of the earliest parts. In all there were 7 stone circles erected with stones transported from different sources.

The engineering feat of their construction was comparable to that of the skills demonstrated some 4,000 years later in the building of the great 12th century Gothic cathedrals.

Recent laser technology has discovered stone carvings on the surface of several of the stones.

Magically, these can be seen with the naked eye, if the sunlight is precisely at the correct angle.